


three's a crowd

by wolfsupremacist



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: M/M, Polyamory: Mission FAILED
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-13
Updated: 2019-02-13
Packaged: 2019-10-27 04:47:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17760059
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wolfsupremacist/pseuds/wolfsupremacist
Summary: “You know, when you look like that, I can tell exactly what you’re thinking,” Chanyeol says, grinning, crowding right into Baekhyun’s space, aiming for a kiss.“Great,” Baekhyun says, shoving him back by the shoulders. “Then you should know how fucking ridiculous this is. If you want to break up with me, then fucking break up with me. Stop being such a fuckin’ pussy.”“Uncalled for,” Chanyeol says. “And misogynistic.”





	three's a crowd

**Author's Note:**

> "Can you write a ChanBaekHun fic about a polyamorous relationship gone wrong that ends in SeBaek? 
> 
> Like Chanyeol and Baekhyun are in a long term relationship, but Chanyeol wants more, so he asks if he can bring Sehun into their relationship and Baekhyun reluctantly and resentfully agrees because he doesn't want to lose Chanyeol, but ends up falling for Sehun and not wanting to share him."

To Baekhyun, it is the end of the best thing in his life. 

“What are you talking about?” Chanyeol says. “I’m trying to _save_ us, not end us.” 

_Save us_ , Baekhyun thinks. _What a load of shit._

“You know, when you look like that, I can tell exactly what you’re thinking,” Chanyeol says, grinning, crowding right into Baekhyun’s space, aiming for a kiss. 

“Great,” Baekhyun says, shoving him back by the shoulders. “Then you should know how fucking ridiculous this is. If you want to break up with me, then fucking _break up with me_. Stop being such a fuckin’ pussy.” 

“Uncalled for,” Chanyeol says. “And misogynistic.” 

“Jesus Christ,” Baekhyun says. “Do you ever take a minute off?” 

“No,” Chanyeol smiles. “That’s why you love me.” 

_If I had a choice_ , Baekhyun thinks spitefully, _I wouldn’t want to love you._

“You know I can’t fucking do this,” he whines. “You _know_ I can’t.” 

“You _can_ ,” Chanyeol says. “Didn’t you always say when we first started dating that you wanted something a little more open?” 

“I didn’t mean open like _this_!” Baekhyun screeches. “I meant _emotionally open. Spiritually_ open. Like, energies and shit!” 

“Oh,” Chanyeol says, looking down at his hands. “I guess I misunderstood.” 

“Uh, yeah,” Baekhyun huffs. “I guess you did.” 

Chanyeol tackles him to the bed, and though Baekhyun struggles against it, he likes feeling held down, and eventually Chanyeol settles over top of him like a weighted blanket. 

“It’d be really good for us, I swear to God. You’ll think about it?” Chanyeol whispers, pressing a kiss to Baekhyun’s ear. 

What is there to think about? Adding someone? Sharing Chanyeol? Sitting passenger seat to the downfall of his relationship with the love of his fucking life? 

“Yeah,” Baekhyun groans. “I’ll fuckin’ think about it.”  
  


♂♂♂

When Chanyeol came into Baekhyun’s life, that was it. Game over. He’d finally found what he’d been looking for.

Chanyeol could feed off his energy, could give it as well as he took it. Every stupid inch of him was naturally good, dripping with talent and completely unaware how hot he was. Baekhyun liked that, liked a fixer-upper that wasn’t in need of much fixing, relatively speaking. No emotional baggage, no great trauma. Just superficial problems.

He liked slapping a fresh coat of paint on a man and calling it a day, and that was exactly what he did. Chanyeol came to him dressed in sweats falling off his body, dry skin and calloused, crusty hands, and when Baekhyun was done with him, he could have been a Tommy Hilfiger model. 

“You made me all soft and stuff,” Chanyeol said happily, staring at his hands in wonderment. 

“I have a talent,” Baekhyun tutted, rubbing lotion down Chanyeol’s legs. 

Chanyeol smiled, leaned down over his bent knees. He kissed Baekhyun squarely on the mouth the way Baekhyun had taught him. He was so good at learning. And Baekhyun loved to teach.  
  


♂♂♂

Chanyeol puts on his flannel, tucks in one side, leaves the other side hanging out. Baekhyun hates him, he _hates_ him. He looks so fucking handsome, and Baekhyun wants to shove him down onto their bed and suck his cock until he dies or starts astral projecting or something.

“If you really don’t wanna go,” Chanyeol says, brushing his hair back and shooting a little bit of hairspray at it, “we don’t have to go.” 

“We’re fucking _going_ ,” Baekhyun says. “You wanted a third, so we’re getting a third.”

And he means it. He realized after his initial conversation with Chanyeol that he would do anything to keep him, and if it means occasionally getting cuckolded, it’s whatever. He’ll get used to it. 

He makes a promise to himself: he’ll get used to it. 

Chanyeol looks back over his shoulder, smiling charmingly at Baekhyun. And Baekhyun feels the ice chip away from him just like that. “If you don’t want to meet him, we’ll stay here.” He turns back to the mirror, plays idly with his hair so he doesn’t look _too_ put together. “I just thought it might be fun.” 

Baekhyun scratches his ear. 

Chanyeol turns around this time, seemingly finished with his preening. He looks—he’s fucking stunning. Casual, but careful. Smartly dressed and practically glowing. Baekhyun fixed him up too well: he’s become self-aware. 

“You can tell me if you hate it,” Chanyeol says. “It’s totally up to you. If you really want, we can—” 

Baekhyun shoves his feet into his shoes, grimacing. “Whatever. You’re buying today. And I get to drink.” 

Chanyeol crouches in front of Baekhyun, kisses him. “Anything for you, baby.” He stares into Baekhyun’s eyes as he says it, and Baekhyun’s resolve to be bitchy to the new boy weakens momentarily. Chanyeol looks excited, stars in his eyes. “Oh, shoot, we should get going. We have to meet him soon.” 

Baekhyun groans, and he lets himself be pulled to his feet. He is filled with the kind of existential dread that he usually reserves for running out of conditioner. 

“Fine, let’s see what kind of scrub you found on the dredges of Grindr.” 

“Yes,” Chanyeol smiles. “Let’s.”  
  


♂♂♂

Sehun is tall and pristine. His hair is styled. His fingernails are manicured and shining. He is not overdressed for the restaurant setting, but he’s certainly not underdressed either. A blazer over a t-shirt, tailored jeans. Vans. He’s...he’s perfect. Lips red. His skin brushed clear, his lashes long and curled, and his brows...tamed but full. Expressive.

He’s wearing makeup, completely unnoticeable to the untrained eye. But Baekhyun’s eye is trained. And he’s no dummy. 

He’s being replaced with a newer, taller, bigger-dicked model of twink. 

Baekhyun tries to hold back on all his impulses to jump across the table and rip his jugular out like a crazed lioness. 

“Nice to finally meet you,” Sehun smiles, close-mouthed. “Chanyeol has told me so much about you.” 

“Oh, I’m sure he has,” Baekhyun simpers before wheeling around and shooting a look at Chanyeol. 

“What?” 

“Let’s sit,” Baekhyun says, smiling back at Sehun. And they all sit, Chanyeol and Baekhyun on one side of the table, Sehun on the other, directly across from Baekhyun. “What do you do?” 

“I work for a brand,” Sehun smiles. “We specialize in men’s underwear.” 

“Oh,” Baekhyun says, and he’s put out. He wonders if he knows the brand. Wonders if he’s ever worn something Sehun’s worked on. “That’s really...that’s cool.” 

“What about you?” Sehun asks, and he leans forward, up on his elbows. 

“Law firm,” Baekhyun says, frowning. 

“Wow,” Sehun says. “Big shot.” 

Baekhyun narrows his eyes before he remembers that he’s supposed to be Cool Girl-ing here, and then he smiles. “It pays well.” The waiter comes by, fills their water glasses, and Baekhyun is grateful, taking a sip of his water before gesturing broadly to Chanyeol. “Keeps this one in Swedish fish and his PSLs.” 

_There, bitch_ , Baekhyun thinks to himself. _He’s my man, and only I am privy to such embarrassing information about his disgusting eating habits._

Sehun sparkles, turning all his charm on Chanyeol. “You like Swedish fish?” He smiles broadly, and his smile is not nearly as dazzling as Baekhyun knows his own is, but still, there is a distinct and unique loveliness, something distracting and pretty. “I love Swedish fish. They were my favorite candy as a kid.” 

“Ew,” Baekhyun says. 

Sehun continues to sparkle, glitter practically pouring out of him, and he looks back at Baekhyun. 

“Not much of a sweet tooth?” he asks, cocking his head to the side. Baekhyun is not impressed, nor is he charmed. 

“No,” Baekhyun says, folding his arms. “Not really.” 

Chanyeol pokes Baekhyun in the side, and Baekhyun reacts poorly, face twisting up in anger. “You love chocolate,” he says. “That counts.” 

“I like _dark_ chocolate,” Baekhyun says, poking him right back, the asshole. “So bitter they can barely call it chocolate.” 

“I’ll remember that.” 

Baekhyun looks at Sehun who watches him with a look that Baekhyun can’t quite decode. It’s something like interest, but—but more. Much more. 

They talk about each other, get to know each other, and Baekhyun feels at a disadvantage. It’s obvious to anyone that Chanyeol and Sehun have spent a while talking, and they’ve developed a rapport that has Baekhyun stabbing at his Caesar salad. 

Sehun is smart. Interesting. He’s got a lot of stories because he’s been a lot of places. He likes all the same shitty, experimental indie rock that Chanyeol likes. He’s in a pool league. He hikes. Does bikram on the weekends. Baekhyun looks at Chanyeol as Sehun talks about the clean sweat dripping off him, and he sees the same excitement that Chanyeol used to look at him with. 

He is smacked in the mouth with a horrible realization. 

Baekhyun isn’t the Cool Girl. Sehun is.  
  


♂♂♂

They start going on dates.

Chanyeol doesn’t call them dates, of course, but that’s what they are. They go to the movies, they get frozen yogurt, they go on a picnic or two. The outings are distinctly romantic, even if they never kiss or show much affection to each other. It’s the _slide_ , Baekhyun realizes. They’re conditioning him. Making it palatable for him. Chanyeol wears the khakis that make it look like he’s got a thicker ass than he actually has, and Baekhyun salivates, but he knows that Sehun will salivate too. 

Sehun always sits between them, and Baekhyun glares whenever Sehun turns away from him. He doesn’t often turn, though, usually faces him and asks him questions. Baekhyun isn’t a dummy. He knows they’re trying to get him involved, get him invested in this shitshow. Baekhyun dips a toe in, but not much more. He’s only in it for Chanyeol, after all. 

Still, there is something strange and frustrating and good about Sehun that Baekhyun can’t quite ignore, so when Sehun drops them off at their apartment late one night after an evening wine-tasting and he puts his hands on Baekhyun’s hips, Baekhyun lets him. 

It’s a show, of course. He can be cool. He can be down. Gillian Flynn, eat your fucking heart out. 

“Hey there,” Baekhyun says coyly, looking up at him. 

There isn’t too much of a difference; he tilts his head at the same angle as he does when he looks up at Chanyeol. 

“Hi,” Sehun says softly. 

Baekhyun takes initiative. Chanyeol likes that in a man. 

He goes up on his toes, and he puts his hand on the back of Sehun’s neck. Baekhyun pulls him down just an inch, an inch more, and when their lips meet, Baekhyun knows by the taste that Sehun uses the mint lip balm from Kiehl’s. 

Sehun’s mouth is soft under his, and Baekhyun thinks about keeping it chaste for about one millisecond before Sehun sighs and cups Baekhyun’s jaw in his hands. Baekhyun opens his mouth, flicks his tongue out, and Sehun meets it, tangles his tongue with Baekhyun’s messily. Hungrily. 

There is nothing to teach him. 

Baekhyun comes away from the kiss breathless and desperate for more, clutching the fabric of Sehun’s shirt in his hands. He wants to rut into Sehun, wants to plaster himself along his body. Wants to— 

“Wow.” 

Baekhyun turns, eyes wide. He— 

Sehun smiles at Chanyeol, strokes a thumb along Baekhyun’s cheek. 

“You want in?” Sehun asks. 

Chanyeol only nods. 

Baekhyun prepares to be let go, and he starts to sink down onto the flats of his feet, but Sehun holds him there, only arches to the side, letting Chanyeol take what he wants. 

Baekhyun stands there, still in Sehun’s hands, and he watches as Sehun kisses Chanyeol like he’s done it a hundred times, no learning curve at all. Chanyeol melts, spine curving, and Baekhyun—Baekhyun’s stomach flares with heat. 

When Sehun finally breaks it, leaving Chanyeol with a heaving chest, he looks into Baekhyun’s eyes. He moves in, and Baekhyun moves up for another kiss, offers himself up, but Sehun only kisses him on the forehead. 

He slides his hands down from Baekhyun’s jaw, down his neck, over his shoulders, and down his back. Baekhyun shivers. His body is a traitor. 

“Sleep well,” Sehun says. 

He steps back, and Chanyeol takes Baekhyun’s hand in his. “We will. Text us when you get home.” 

“I will,” Sehun says, and he walks away, goes back to his car, a cloud of confusion left in his wake. 

They stand there on the porch of their apartment building, hand in hand, and Baekhyun tries to parse it all. 

“You like him?” Chanyeol asks. 

“I—” Baekhyun stutters, hand brushing against his mouth. “I don’t know.” 

“It looked—” 

“Shut up,” Baekhyun says, and he pulls Chanyeol through the doors, pulls him to the elevator. Through those doors too. 

He pushes Chanyeol against the wall, and he kisses him hard. 

“Did it get you hot?” Chanyeol asks, breath warm against Baekhyun’s ear. “Did you like kissing him?” Baekhyun whines, puts his hands on Chanyeol’s ass. Grabs a couple handfuls. Pulls them against each other. “It looked so hot. You looked like you—” 

“Shut up,” Baekhyun says, and he reminds Chanyeol of his place, right in Baekhyun’s pocket.  
  


♂♂♂

“Stir.”

“I’m stirring.” 

It’s coupled with a flirtatious giggle, and Baekhyun slips off his shoes, rolling his eyes. There’s been more and more of this type of thing. Sehun ingratiates himself easily, slips into every little thing they do like he’s supposed to be there. Like he was always supposed to be there. Baekhyun shrugs out of his jacket, hangs it up and peeks around the corner to the kitchen. 

Sehun has his arms around Chanyeol at the stove, and they look like a couple. He swallows thickly at the picture of their bodies against each other, and he can’t tell the difference between the arousal and the jealousy because they both taste the same. 

Chanyeol sighs happily, lays his head back against Sehun’s shoulder, and he spots Baekhyun. 

“Hi, baby,” Chanyeol says happily. 

“Hey,” Baekhyun says. 

Sehun says nothing as he lets go of Chanyeol, patting him gently on the butt. He crosses the tiles, bare feet padding in that domestic way before he stands in front of Baekhyun, smiling. 

“Welcome home,” Sehun says, and he opens his arms. 

Baekhyun is a weak bitch because he goes easily into the embrace. He’s gotten used to Sehun’s presence, gotten accustomed to his kisses and to his specific brand of aloof affection. When they sit on the couch, Sehun sits in the middle, arms along the back of the couch around them both. Sehun kisses them good night, rarely texts them good morning, and he always leaves them craving a bit more. 

He doesn’t want to come around to the idea of three, but he finds himself being charmed anyway. What can he say? He’s human. 

“Thank you,” Baekhyun says against Sehun’s chest. “Didn’t know you were coming tonight.” 

“Missed my boys,” Sehun says into Baekhyun’s hair.

Baekhyun closes his eyes, squeezes them shut, annoyed at himself for being endeared by it. 

“What’s for dinner?” Baekhyun asks. “I’m hungry. Skipped lunch.” 

Sehun swats him on the ass, and Baekhyun yelps, nuzzling into Sehun’s arms more. 

“What’d we tell you?” Sehun chastises. “No skipping meals.” 

“You’re already too thin,” Chanyeol says, looking over his shoulder. “You keep getting skinnier.” 

Baekhyun pokes Sehun in the chest angrily. “So, what, the two of you are gonna fatten me up with carbs?” he says. 

“Yep,” Sehun says, popping the plosive. “Carbonara, specifically.” 

Baekhyun moans out his appreciation, and Sehun’s eyes go dark. He leans down, kisses Baekhyun wholly. He loves this shit, he _hates_ how much he loves it. He chalks it up to his lizard brain being both instinctually and preternaturally attracted to Sehun’s upside down triangle upper body, and he lets himself indulge in it. 

Flat palms run down Sehun’s pectorals, stroke down his stomach. The three of them, they’re strictly above belt so early on. But that doesn’t stop Baekhyun from wanting to explore. What does he look like naked? What kind of sounds does he make when he’s in the throes of passion and pleasure? Baekhyun’s thought about it. He’s kissed down Chanyeol’s body while dreaming about doing it to Sehun. 

And it fills his lungs with danger. 

“What are you doing?” Sehun whispers. 

“Nothing,” Baekhyun says, and his fingers play along the hem of Sehun’s shirt, against his bare skin. 

He skims his fingernails against the low part of Sehun’s stomach, circling his belly button, and Sehun draws sharp breath. Baekhyun takes that as praise, and he gets bolder, slips the tip of his finger under the edge of his pants, just lets it sit there. 

Sehun stares down at him with flaming red cheeks. 

“Almost done,” Chanyeol calls. 

And Baekhyun blinks away whatever just gripped him, shakes himself out of it, vaguely horrified at what he’s just done. 

“Okay,” Baekhyun says, and he puts distance between he and Sehun immediately. “I’m gonna...I’m gonna go shower really fast.” 

“Hurry back,” Chanyeol says. 

And Baekhyun hurries out of the room, running his hands through his hair, wondering what exactly is happening to him.  
  


♂♂♂

Sehun goes home after they eat dessert, a small cherry-chocolate cheesecake he picked up, perfect for three. Sehun kisses Chanyeol and then Baekhyun, and Baekhyun doesn’t know if it’s his imagination, but he feels like Sehun lingers on him.

Chanyeol lies next to Baekhyun in bed, scrolling through his phone. 

“Hey,” Baekhyun says. 

Chanyeol lowers his phone for a minute. “Hey.” He turns to face Baekhyun. “What’s up? You look upset.” 

“I, uh,” Baekhyun says, and the guilt pushes up in his stomach, up into his throat like acid. He chokes it out in words. “I think I like him.” 

Chanyeol does not react the way Baekhyun anticipates, the way Baekhyun feels he should. He doesn’t kick Baekhyun out of bed, out of their apartment. Doesn’t call him names or break it off immediately. He sits up, puts his phone on the bedside table, and then gathers Baekhyun into his arms. 

“Isn’t that the point?” Chanyeol says against his hair. 

“It feels so weird, though,” Baekhyun says. “I feel like...like I’m cheating on you.” 

“You’re not,” Chanyeol says. 

“But I feel like I am,” Baekhyun says. 

“But you _aren’t_.” He nuzzles into Baekhyun, kissing him on the head. “The whole point of us is to...I dunno what the _point_ is, but you’re supposed to like him. You’re _supposed_ to want to be with him. With the two of us.” 

“Yeah,” Baekhyun says. “Yeah, I guess.” 

“Don’t worry,” Chanyeol says. “I mean, unless you like him more than me.” 

Baekhyun surges up, pushes Chanyeol flat onto his back by the shoulders. He kisses him, licking into his mouth and making him moan. 

“Shut up,” Baekhyun says against his mouth. 

“Kay,” Chanyeol smiles.  
  


♂♂♂

It’s strange. It’s different. He doesn’t quite know what the rules are, and in the thin margins of their life, he feels like he’s scribbling his own.

 _Number one_ , he writes. _Chanyeol is the top priority._

He and Sehun don’t do much together outside of their relationship with Chanyeol, but that changes as the weather starts to freeze the city over. Baekhyun shoves his hands into mittens. 

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Baekhyun asks. 

“I think it’s a great idea,” Chanyeol says. “You two know each other because of me, you always spend time together when I’m there. I think it’s important that you get some time to yourselves, don’t you?” 

“I guess,” Baekhyun says. 

“Plus,” Chanyeol says, and he dots a kiss to the center of Baekhyun’s lips, “you guys can pick out a present for me.” 

Baekhyun rolls his eyes, but it frames their outing in a more comfortable way for him. Chanyeol is still at the forefront, so he feels better about it. He wraps his arms around Chanyeol’s neck, kisses him lushly. 

“I’ll be back,” Baekhyun says. 

“Get me something nice,” Chanyeol smiles. 

Baekhyun walks outside, and Sehun is parked illegally, waiting for him. He tries not to smile. 

They decided go to the department store, and there is something romantic about it. It’s early still for the first snow of the year, but the first snow falls all the same, and Baekhyun stares out the window at it as it falls to concrete and asphalt, biting down on his lip. 

“You okay?” 

Baekhyun looks over, and Sehun looks back to the road. 

“Yeah,” Baekhyun says. “I’m okay.” 

“You’re quiet today,” Sehun says, and his hands tighten on the wheel. Baekhyun looks away. 

“I’m just tired,” he lies. “Sorry.” 

“We can do it tomorrow, if you’d prefer,” Sehun offers. 

“No,” Baekhyun says, and he leans his head against the window. “No, I’m sorry.” 

“Don’t apologize.” Sehun reaches over, turns down the volume on the radio. “Get some sleep. I’ll wake you when we get there.” 

Baekhyun doesn’t know what comes over him, but his eyes slip shut, and he’s only awoken later by a gentle hand on his shoulder. 

“Hey,” Sehun smiles. “We’re here.” 

Baekhyun stretches, smiles back. “Hey. Fuck.” 

Sehun strokes the back of his hand along Baekhyun’s cheek gently, softly. “You looked so peaceful,” he says. “I almost didn’t wanna wake you.” 

“Shut up,” Baekhyun says quietly. 

“I’m serious,” Sehun smiles. “You look like you needed a little nap.” 

Baekhyun blames it on the sleep, but he feels soft, wants to drag Sehun across the divide and into a kiss, kiss the smile off his face. He blinks slowly, like through honey, and he does what he wants. 

Takes Sehun’s face in a hand and drags him into a kiss. 

It’s soft, slow, and Baekhyun moans as Sehun opens his mouth. He licks the sound away before he pulls back, kisses Baekhyun purely, chastely. 

“What was that for?” Sehun asks. 

“I dunno,” Baekhyun says. “Just felt like it.” 

Sehun runs the pad of his thumb along Baekhyun’s bottom lip, and Baekhyun opens. Runs his tongue along it. 

“What are you doing?” Sehun asks with a grin. “We should be shopping.” 

That works, snaps him right out of it. Number one. Rule number one. 

“Right,” Baekhyun says, and he quickly unbuckles his seatbelt. “Yeah. We—Chanyeol is making dinner for us, so we should—” 

“Get going,” Sehun says. 

But before they get out of the car, he leans across the center console and kisses Baekhyun. Leaves him wanting more. Always more. 

They hold hands as they walk through the store, and in the end, they settle on two new video games for Chanyeol, one for each of them to give.  
  


♂♂♂

_Number two_ , he writes. _Keep your distance. Don’t get attached._

Chanyeol is in the shower, and he and Sehun lounge on the couch, Sehun’s head in Baekhyun’s lap as Baekhyun strokes fingers through his hair. Sehun has his eyes shut, a strange look on his face that Baekhyun’s never seen before. It’s no less handsome than the rest of his looks, so Baekhyun lays his head against the back of the couch. 

“Everything okay?” Baekhyun asks softly. 

“Just had a bad day.” 

Baekhyun inhales and exhales. _Don’t engage._

“What happened?” he asks. 

“Trouble with my fellow lead designers,” Sehun says. Baekhyun looks down, pets along Sehun’s forehead. “The spring summer fabrics came, and no one can agree on a theme.” 

Baekhyun’s seen his work. Baekhyun now has several items from the fall/winter line. Baekhyun knows that Sehun will do fine. That all will be well. It has to be. Sehun’s good at what he does. And even that is too close for Baekhyun. 

“That’s what happens when you get a bunch of talented people in a room together,” Baekhyun says. “Lots of visions clashing.” 

“If only _clashing_ could be a concept,” Sehun smirks. 

“Why can’t it be?” Baekhyun says. 

Sehun opens his eyes. Stares up at Baekhyun as he takes Baekhyun’s hand in his, curls it up and kisses it. “Thank you.” 

“I didn’t do anything,” Baekhyun says. 

“You always do plenty.”  
  


♂♂♂

_Number three: when sex is involved, proceed with caution._

It’s months before Sehun is invited into their bedroom, and Baekhyun has imagined it, turned it over in his head a hundred times. He has contingency plans, contingency plans for _those_ contingency plans, and still, it all goes to hell. 

He watches Chanyeol kiss Sehun, watches as Chanyeol plays with Sehun’s nipples and kisses down his neck. They’re—they’re all naked, laid bare before each other, and Baekhyun’s nerves feel like they’re all sitting outside his body now, along his skin like fine hair. 

“Suck his dick,” Chanyeol says. 

That certainly spurns Baekhyun into action. 

He crawls forward on the bed, between Sehun’s split legs, and he settles down on his stomach. He reaches forward, takes Sehun’s cock in his hand, and Sehun bucks his hips at the touch. Baekhyun has to hide his face for a minute, kissing along the inner part of Sehun’s thigh, because the heat rises in him so fast that he feels like he might be blushing. 

A hand comes to rest on the back of his neck, and Baekhyun looks up. Sehun stares down at him, lips wet. With Chanyeol. 

Baekhyun leans into the touch, nuzzles into it, and licks his lips. 

“You want it?” Baekhyun asks against Sehun’s skin. 

“Yeah,” he answers, and Baekhyun sees no reason to wait. 

He sucks at the head of Sehun’s cock, gets it wet, and Sehun’s muffled moans spur him on. Baekhyun stares at them as he works, and Chanyeol and Sehun continue to kiss, pour themselves into it. It’s—it’s hot, it’s too hot. Baekhyun swallows as much as he can, closes his eyes and focuses. 

Baekhyun’s good at this, had lots of practice, so he feels vindicated when it’s a tragically short amount of time before Sehun is grabbing the sheets, scrambling for purchase, frantically tearing himself away from Chanyeol’s mouth to beg for more. 

“He’s good at that, isn’t he?” Chanyeol says. “Wait until he eats your ass for the first time.” 

Sehun groans, thrusts up into Baekhyun’s mouth. Baekhyun gags, throat closing, and Sehun moans, high-pitched and cracking. Baekhyun pulls away as tears begin to roll down his face. He brushes them away, sniffs. Smiles at them before he presses wet kisses to Sehun’s thighs. 

“Stop,” Sehun says, and Baekhyun immediately pulls back. “I’m about to come.” 

“Oh,” Baekhyun says, smiling. “Kind of a hair-trigger, huh?” 

Sehun takes Baekhyun’s hands in his, pulls him up and to the side so that he’s laying opposite Chanyeol, Sehun’s body dividing them. “You know what,” he says, kissing the taste of his own precome from Baekhyun’s mouth, “you’ll pay for that.” 

“I hope so,” Baekhyun says. 

They play with each other, and it’s coltish, the way they move around each other. Baekhyun kind of likes it: for the first time, it feels like there _is_ a learning curve for Sehun, for the three of them together. They’re overexcited, and their limbs bump, but it’s sweet, learning to move again. 

They’ve talked about it. For a while, Baekhyun felt like all they did was talk about it. So maybe that’s why it’s strange to be _doing_ something after only talking for so long. 

They lay Chanyeol on his back, and Baekhyun stretches him open the way he knows Chanyeol likes. Slow and steady, a gentle curl of his fingers as he withdraws them. Chanyeol writhes on the bed, dripping noises as he flexes unbidden. Baekhyun’s seen it enough, fallen in love with it hundreds of times over. He chances a glance at Sehun, watching Chanyeol like nothing could tear his gaze away. 

And then he tears his gaze away, looks in Baekhyun’s eyes. Baekhyun stills his wrist, forgets to keep the steady motion. 

“Can I try?” 

“Y-yeah,” Baekhyun says. He slips his fingers out, makes room for Sehun between Chanyeol’s legs. 

Baekhyun watches in awe as Sehun slicks his fingers, pets along Chanyeol’s hole the way that he did just a couple minutes prior. He pushes one long index finger inside when Chanyeol is inhaling, and it fractures like glass, splintering out. He thrusts that finger in and out slowly, just like Baekhyun did, and he curls it up on the withdraw. 

Baekhyun never told him to do it like him, but Sehun fingers Chanyeol the way Baekhyun showed him. Didn’t even need to hear the words. 

“Hey,” Sehun says. “Look at me.” 

Baekhyun looks up, and as he does, Sehun captures his mouth in a kiss. Baekhyun moans, struggles to hold himself upright as Sehun decimates the both of them, like it’s nothing. Like it’s all he knows. 

When they finally get him ready, the moans dripping out of him like a leaking faucet, Chanyeol flips onto his stomach, gets his hands and knees underneath him. “Come on.” He pats Baekhyun’s hand, pulls him to the front. “Come on, enough fucking around.” 

“I thought that was the whole point,” Sehun says, and he rubs the head of his cock, condom wet with lube, against Chanyeol’s hole. “ _Fucking around_.”

“I hate you,” Baekhyun scoffs. 

He repositions himself, walks on his knees up to the head of the bed. Chanyeol’s hand grips at his hip before he circles his wet fingers around the head of Baekhyun’s cock. 

“You don’t hate me,” Sehun whispers, and he slowly sinks inside Chanyeol’s body just as Chanyeol squeezes his eyes shut, swallowing Baekhyun’s cock, moaning out around it. 

Baekhyun digs his nails into his palms for a second before he drags his fingers through Chanyeol’s hair, gets a good grip before pulling him forward roughly, just the way Chanyeol likes once he’s sunk into it a little. 

Sehun—he doesn’t need any teaching. Goes with it the way he goes with everything. Rolls with the punches. 

He wordlessly pulls back on Chanyeol’s hips, not rough, but not gentle either. It goes like that, the push and pull. Chanyeol between them. Each of them dragging him to them. It’s the perfect metaphor, Baekhyun thinks, burying himself so deep in Chanyeol’s throat that he starts to gag. Baekhyun pulls out harshly, and Chanyeol instinctively sticks his tongue out so Baekhyun can slap the head of his cock against it wetly before he pushes back inside. 

He looks up, and he sees Sehun staring back at him. Lust bare and red on his face like blush. 

Instinctively, Baekhyun leans forward over Chanyeol, and Sehun comes to meet him, licks his way into Baekhyun’s mouth. Baekhyun’s stomach heats through, the pleasure rising like a horrible, beautiful storm, and he holds onto Chanyeol’s hair as he comes like an idiot, squeezing his eyes tighter shut.  
  


♂♂♂

_Rule four: contextualize everything._

Baekhyun looks up at the digital screen that displays the wait for the incoming trains. They’re written in red, and that makes the times seem angrier. _55 minutes._ Baekhyun wants to die. 

Everyone around him is on their phones, standing shoulder to shoulder with the rest of the commuters on the platform. There’s barely any room to move. Baekhyun shoves his hand in his pocket, carefully digs out his phone so that he doesn’t drop it. He taps and swipes until he’s at recent calls, and he quickly taps on Chanyeol’s number. 

“Almost home?” 

Baekhyun can hear soft sad boy music in the background, the sizzles and pops of something frying. It sounds homey, and Baekhyun bundles up further, dips his face into his scarf. 

“No,” Baekhyun says. “Stuck at the terminal. There was an accident, I guess, plus the weather. It’s a big delay.” 

“How big?” Chanyeol asks, and Baekhyun can hear the frowns. 

“Almost an hour,” Baekhyun frowns in response. “You don’t have to wait for me if you don’t want. I can always grab leftovers whenever I get back.” 

There’s muffled sound, like Chanyeol has his hand over the receiver. Another voice. Sehun, Baekhyun recognizes. He was supposed to be working late tonight. He smiles, despite himself. 

“Sehun said he’s coming to get you,” Chanyeol says. “So sit tight.” 

“No,” Baekhyun says. “That’ll take forever. He’s wasting his time.” 

“He’s already out the door,” Chanyeol says. “No use arguing. Just wait for his call.” 

“Kay,” Baekhyun scowls. “Love you.” 

“Love _you_ ,” Chanyeol sings, and the line goes dead. 

Baekhyun makes his way down the escalator, packed with people, and he goes to the Dunkin’ Donuts, gets himself a coffee to use as a hand-warmer for a while. 

He doesn’t wait nearly as long as he thought he would. He sits on a bench near the forgotten bank of payphones and people-watches for a quarter of an hour, twenty minutes at most. He’s drank most of his coffee at that point, one hand resting on his phone in his pocket, so that he feels the vibration when it comes. 

_illegally parked out front, come quick before my car gets towed with me inside_

Baekhyun smiles, a little nothing laugh exhaling as he makes his way out to Sehun’s car. 

Light snows fall all around him, and by the time he opens the door, his hair is covered. He pats away the wetness, and Sehun grins at him. 

“You didn’t have to come,” he says. 

“You would have missed Taco Tuesday,” Sehun says. “Chanyeol made tortilla chips from scratch. Can’t have that.” 

“Can’t have that,” Baekhyun sighs, settling into his seat, staring at Sehun, waiting for him to pull away. But Sehun just stares back at him expectantly. “What?” 

“Seatbelt,” Sehun says, tapping his fingers on the wheel. Baekhyun groans, throwing his seatbelt on with an unsatisfying click. “Good boy.” 

Baekhyun feels the heat rise to his face, not just for the praise, even though he knows he’s weak for it. It’s—it’s all of it. The way Sehun seems ready to drop everything for him, go out of his way to do nice shit for Baekhyun. It’s confusing, even with the context. The competition between them, the push and pull. 

Because it doesn’t feel like competition, doesn’t feel that way at all. 

It feels more like they’re forming something from wet sand, shaping it with their hands. Just the two of them. And Baekhyun is gonna choke to death on his own emotions. 

_Remember the rules_ , he tells himself, but all he does is break them, ignore them, change them so that he can fit more of Sehun in his life. 

“You alright?” 

Baekhyun looks at him, and he’s got his eyes on the road. 

“Yeah,” Baekhyun says. “Just tired, I guess.” 

“You say that a lot,” Sehun says. “That you’re tired.” 

“Well, I am,” Baekhyun says. 

“Sometimes I think you say that because you don’t wanna say what you really feel.” And Sehun looks over at him, a split second of eye contact before he looks back to the road. “I just wanted to say that I might not get it, but you can always talk to me.” Another quick glance. A small smile before he looks back to the winter-slick road. “I’m always, you know, here for you or whatever.” 

Baekhyun doesn’t know what to say, how to respond to something so genuine. He can’t contextualize it the way he wants to. He can’t figure out where it belongs. He doesn’t know where to place it, between which set of words to make it acceptable, palatable. 

“Thank you,” he settles on, not knowing how else to tell Sehun all this.  
  


♂♂♂

They’ve been dating for half a year when he sets rule five.

It’s become his new normal, the three of them. They do most everything together, cooking and shopping and relaxing and fucking, and then Chanyeol starts talking about Sehun moving in. Baekhyun’s stomach seizes, and he can’t quite put his finger on why. 

He looks to the margins, the little words he wrote. 

_If it gets to be too much, you owe it to everyone to leave._  
  


♂♂♂

The sound of the shower is peaceful, like rainfall, and Baekhyun tucks himself under the covers more, pulls the sheets up to his chin.

“How do you feel about it?” Sehun asks. 

Baekhyun looks at him, the sweat cooling on his skin. Chanyeol can’t sleep like that. Baekhyun smiles. He is….so fond of Chanyeol. Loves him so much. 

“I don’t know,” Baekhyun says. And he pulls the sheet up over his mouth. “How do you feel about it?” 

“I feel like I want you both to be happy,” Sehun says. “Chanyeol seems like he’s into it, but I’m not so sure about you.” 

Sehun reaches out, and he pulls the sheet down from Baekhyun’s mouth. He brushes the tips of two fingers along his lips. Affection. Nothing more. 

_Do you ever feel the draw?_ Baekhyun wants to know. _Do you ever feel like it’s supposed to be just us?_

The moment the thought crystalizes, he thinks of rule five. Rule five. Pull back. Pull back. _You have to. You promised yourself_ , Baekhyun tells himself. _You fucking_ have _to._

“What’s wrong?” 

“I think I—I think I need to take a walk,” he says. He throws back the sheets completely, throws on a pair of sweatpants. “Tell...tell Chanyeol I went out for a minute.” 

“Okay,” Sehun says. “But remember to take your phone. Don’t get stolen.” 

“I won’t,” Baekhyun says. He just needs long enough to get his head on straight, because for a couple minutes there, he was thinking—he was thinking that he misses monogamy. And not with the person he’s supposed to.  
  


♂

Sehun doesn’t move in.

Baekhyun moves out. 

“I’m sorry,” Chanyeol says after he helps Baekhyun move into his new place. “I really thought it—” 

“It’s not your fault,” Baekhyun says. “I fucked up. I should have...I should have told you. I should have communicated.” 

“Hey,” Chanyeol says, a hand on the back of Baekhyun’s neck, holding him close, “no beating yourself up. We’re okay.” 

“Are we?” Baekhyun chances a look up at Chanyeol, nervous to see what he might find. But there is just Chanyeol’s weird, eternal, unconditional love there. And Baekhyun’s heart settles. 

“We’re okay,” Chanyeol repeats. “I’m glad you’re finally trying to prioritize yourself.” 

“What?” 

“You,” Chanyeol says, hands squeezing Baekhyun’s waist. “You’re always putting people first. You tell yourself you’re looking to fix them, make them better. But really...all you want is to put their needs above yours. I mean, Christ, you were so against poly. You hated me for a minute. But you gave it a shot anyway. Because you put me above you.” 

“Shut up,” Baekhyun says, and he balls a fist, punches at Chanyeol’s arm. “Take it back.” 

“No,” Chanyeol says with a laugh. “I mean, I didn’t even realize it at first, until I talked to Sehun about it. And then I was like...fuck, you’re right. Baekhyun does everything for everyone except himself.” 

Baekhyun doesn’t know what to do with it. Doesn’t have rules for something like this, now that they’re no longer together. 

“I’m sorry,” Baekhyun says.

“No apologies.” Chanyeol takes Baekhyun’s face in his hands. Presses a soft kiss to Baekhyun’s forehead. “Have you talked to Sehun?” 

“No,” Baekhyun says. “I dunno. I felt...weird.” 

“It’s okay,” Chanyeol says. “He’d understand.” 

“I might...I might call him,” Baekhyun says. “I never really—” 

“You don’t have to stay away on my account,” Chanyeol says. “I was interested in the two of you together, not separately, if that makes sense.” 

“You stopped dating him?” 

“Of course I did,” Chanyeol says. “We stopped dating right after you started staying someplace else.” 

“Why?” 

“Because it felt weird,” Chanyeol says with a shrug. “We needed you to work.” 

It grabs him by the ankles like a fucking rip current. 

“Chanyeol,” Baekhyun says, verge of tears. “I think I liked Sehun.” 

“It’s okay,” Chanyeol says. “I had a weird feeling the two of you would hit it off.” 

“I’m so sorry,” Baekhyun says, and a tear rolls down his face. 

Chanyeol rolls his eyes, gathers Baekhyun back in a hug. “Stop with the apologies.” He presses a kiss to the top of Baekhyun’s head. “We’re okay. You’re free.” 

Baekhyun breathes out, a weight lifted off his chest.  
  


♂

Baekhyun’s new place is across the city from Chanyeol, so they don’t run into each other too often. Once in a while, though, they’ll catch up over lunch, talk about what’s new and exciting, but they transition to a comfortable, reliable friendship that makes Baekhyun frame his initial attraction toward Chanyeol in a brand new way.

Maybe Chanyeol was right. Maybe he was always just looking for someone to care for, someone to put above himself. Maybe he was always just trying to ignore that he desperately craved someone looking out for him. Someone putting him first. Someone...someone willing to put up with his bullshit. Break through defense mechanisms. Snark. Things he learned from television and movies. Someone to remind him what it feels like to be loved, what it feels like to be in love. 

He takes a while to be on his own. 

He was always bouncing around, moving from project to project. He settles into his new home without another man around. 

He decorates to his tastes, and the whole place looks like Pinterest threw up. Lots of plant life, little clutter besides. 

He starts going to the gym, even though it’s mostly to look cute and pose for selfies. 

He gets back to him. Centers himself for the first time. And it feels so fucking right.  
  


♂

Baekhyun never deletes Sehun’s number, and one aimless Friday night, after his viewing of _Sex and the City: The Movie_ and over his third glass of Cabernet, he decides to drag Sehun back into his life.

“Hi,” he mumbles into his phone. “I miss you.” 

“I miss you too. I can hardly believe you called,” Sehun says.

“Well, believe it, mister,” Baekhyun says. 

“Are you drunk?” Sehun sounds pleased. Baekhyun misses his smile. Misses the face he makes when he really likes what he’s eating. Misses his arms. “Baekhyun?” 

“What,” Baekhyun says. 

“Are you drunk?” 

“A little,” Baekhyun says. “Not much.” 

“How much is not much?” 

“Only a bit,” Baekhyun says. “I’m mostly lonely.” 

“That’s no good,” Sehun says, and Baekhyun hears his movement, like he’s settling in sheets. He closes his eyes, imagining it. “What are you thinking about?” 

“Sheets,” Baekhyun says, and Sehun laughs. “What?” Baekhyun sits up from his reclining position on the couch, careful not to slosh the wine everywhere. “What are you laughing about?” 

“You,” Sehun says. “You’re very cute.” 

“You’re cute,” Baekhyun says. “Fuck, I miss kissing you.” 

“I miss kissing you too,” Sehun says. “Does this honesty have an expiration date?” 

“No,” Baekhyun says. 

“Not even morning?” 

“No,” Baekhyun says. “I’ll be honest.” 

“Okay,” Sehun says. “What have you been up to, baby?”  
  


♂♂

He gets a little embarrassed by the time morning rolls around, mouth dry and head pounding after he polished off the bottle, but he doesn’t regret it. And he doesn’t rescind the honesty.

From then on, they call each other every night, like they’re fucking high-schoolers or something. It’s stupid, but Baekhyun never had that. And, like, if he’s honest with himself, and he’s _learning_ to be honest with himself, he knows he really likes it. And he lets himself have it. 

“If you were a candy bar, what candy bar would you be?” Baekhyun reads off his phone. “What kind of dumb questionnaire is this?” 

“You remember doing those surveys?” Sehun says wistfully. “Back on MySpace?” 

“Please don’t say MySpace around me, I’ll throw myself out a window.” 

“I miss doing those surveys,” Sehun says. “What candy bar would you be?” 

“No,” Baekhyun says. “You tell me what candy bar you think I’d be. And vice versa.” 

“Okay,” Sehun says with a smile. “Hm. Let me think. Something sweet. Smooth. A little sass to it.” 

“Shut up.” 

“Something _really_ delicious.” 

“Okay, I changed my mind, I wanna play a different game.” 

“Oh, shit, I got it,” Sehun says. “You know those Symphony bars? From Hershey?” 

“No,” Baekhyun says begrudgingly. 

“The ones with almonds and toffee,” Sehun says. “That’s you. A fuckin’ Symphony.” 

“I’m gonna kill you,” Baekhyun says. 

“What would I be, huh?” 

“A Pay Day.” 

“Oh,” Sehun says happily. “Cause I’m rich?” 

“No, because you’re fucking nuts.” 

“I’m hanging up.” 

“No,” Baekhyun whines. “Stay with me.” 

“Yeah,” Sehun says. “Yeah, alright.”  
  


♂♂

He’s nervous to see Sehun again. So nervous that he stays up way too late the night before, picking out his outfit. It’s stupid, it’s _ridiculous_. They’re not even _dating_. He just...he wants to date him. He wants to—he wants to be with Sehun.

If he’s learned anything over the last month of being alone, it’s that he’d prefer being with someone. 

But not just anyone. 

The leaves are bright orange and lush on the trees, and the beer gardens are still open. Baekhyun walks in through the gate, sees Sehun at a picnic table, and nearly turns around. He’s too...he’s too _everything_ , all at fuckin’ once. 

Sehun looks up from his phone, spots Baekhyun, and his face breaks into the most beautiful smile Baekhyun’s ever seen. Baekhyun feels pulled across the gap between them, and he sits across from Sehun, biting at his smile. 

“Good to finally see you again,” Sehun says. 

“Yeah,” Baekhyun says. “You too.” 

They really don’t have anything to catch up on, since they talk every night, but they still manage to make conversation anyway. Baekhyun likes that, the ease of it. Like he’s talking to someone he’s known forever. 

Sehun holds Baekhyun’s hand across the table top once they’ve got their first flight and pretzels to pick at. 

Baekhyun almost pulls back, but in the end, he doesn’t, lets Sehun rub his thumb along the back of Baekhyun’s hand. 

“If I’m reading it wrong,” Sehun says, “you gotta say so.” 

“You’re not,” Baekhyun says. “I just—”

Sehun waits. Doesn’t say anything. Baekhyun picks up a light colored beer glass, opens his throat, swallows it. 

“Hey,” Sehun says. “I wanted to try that one.” 

“Shut up.” He thunks the glass back down. “I just...I feel like I cheated on Chanyeol.” He squeezes Sehun’s hand in his. “You know? I don’t...I feel like I fucked up.” 

Sehun smirks. “Have you talked to him recently?” 

“Uh, I mean, not _super_ recently,” Baekhyun says. 

“He’s already moved on,” Sehun laughs. “Two new guys. He met them on Grindr like a week ago.” 

“Oh,” Baekhyun says. “Oh, well, that’s...that’s good.” 

“Does that make you feel better?” Sehun says. “Was it keeping you up at night?” 

“Be quiet,” Baekhyun says. 

“Will do,” Sehun says. “But if we get another flight, I want that blonde next time.” 

Baekhyun smiles. “Okay.”  
  


♂♂

It feels like deja vu. They go to the movies, they get frozen yogurt, they go on a picnic or two. And it’s just them.

They take it slow, inch by inch. Little affections, hugs leading to kisses. And it fills Baekhyun from head to toe. 

“Be my boyfriend,” Baekhyun says against Sehun’s mouth. 

“I have been for a while,” Sehun says. “Only waiting on you to ask.” 

“Well, here I am,” Baekhyun says, pressing another dotted kiss to Sehun’s mouth. “Asking. What’s your answer?” 

“Yes,” Sehun says. “You know it’s always been yes.”  
  


♂♂

When Sehun moves in months later, it really starts feeling like a home.

“Hey,” he says. “Home, sorry.” 

“No problem,” Baekhyun says from the kitchen. “Soup.” 

“Mm,” Sehun says. “ _Soup_.” 

Baekhyun laughs, mumbles _fucking weirdo_ under his breath. 

“This fucking weirdo stopped and got you the stupid expensive conditioner you like so much,” Sehun says. “Since I noticed you were running low.” 

Baekhyun whips around, sees the purple bottle in his hand. “Pureology?” he gasps. 

“Only the best,” Sehun says. “I’ve never seen someone take their hair so seriously.” 

“Shut up,” Baekhyun says, wounded. 

But Sehun doesn’t let that last. He gathers Baekhyun up in his arms. “Love you. And your expensive conditioner that reminds me of cigarette.” 

“It's _menthol_ ,” Baekhyun corrects. 

“Same difference,” Sehun says happily, nuzzling Baekhyun close to him. 

Baekhyun finds it hard to argue in such a position, so he gives up, squeezes Sehun tight in his arms. Right where he belongs.

**Author's Note:**

> extreme apologies to the anon who prompted this WAY BACK IN SEPTEMBER LOL, sorry about that, i did not forget about you!!! i hope you enjoyed this, even if it wasn't TOTALLY what you asked for :^) 
> 
> i gave it the ol' college try. im not in college anymore but like, idk. The ol' crushing weight of adulthood try. 
> 
> if you liked it, remember to like, comment, and subscribe, i upload new videos every tuesday and thursday. tell everyone about my youtube channel. i love making money off adsense and naturebox subscriptions. 
> 
> love u have a very good night, maybe leave me a comment if ur feeling frisky
> 
> [my twitter](https://twitter.com/wolfsupremacist) | [my curious cat](https://curiouscat.me/wolfsupremacist)


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